Seek common ground to move forward

There are lots of takeaways from Tuesday's national election. The biggest one is that the nation's voters turned out strongly to vote, giving elected officials a mandate to move forward. But how?

There are lots of takeaways from Tuesday's national election. The biggest one is that the nation's voters turned out strongly to vote, giving elected officials a mandate to move forward. But how?

Campaigns aim to rile up the constituents and often focus on hot-button issues. That's their function. Tuesday's results could be seen as a rebuke of the most conservative element of the Republican Party. Conservative GOP Senate hopefuls Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock lost, possibly due to their recent remarks, respectively, about "legitimate rape" and pregnancy resulting from rape being "God's will." Same-sex marriage referenda won in Maryland and Maine and a ban on it failed in Wisconsin. Women, the young and minorities turned out strongly for President Barack Obama, whereas white, older males turned out in force for Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

But in the end, the important thing is what elected officials do after the election. Here's hoping that the decisions they make and the policies they adopt will serve all components of our highly diverse country.

America used to be called the melting pot. It isn't, entirely. Various groups often hold distinct ethnic, philosophical and ideological differences, and this diverse citizenry doesn't always melt together smoothly. Recent decades' growing political polarity shows that what divides us may not go away anytime soon. Should it persist, citizens will have to press especially hard to fight perpetual government gridlock.

So let's stipulate that Americans don't agree on some fundamental issues and differ dramatically on how their elected officials should address key challenges from health care to immigration to reproductive rights. But even the most divided population can find something in common.

On election night, President Obama encouraged the nation to look forward, repeating the can-do mantra that has inspired Americans from the early days of the nation. "It doesn't matter if you're black or white, or Hispanic or Asian, or Native American, or young or old or rich or poor, able, disabled, gay or straight," Obama said. "You can make it here in America if you're willing to try."

He's right. It's time to set aside partisan differences. The importance of good jobs, of education, of strong families, the spirit of American ingenuity are shared values that everyone can embrace. Together, citizens and elected officials should focus on ways to develop more and better jobs, to educate more Americans, to support and encourage strong families, to continue fostering the entrepreneurial spirit that lifts the entire country.

Together, we can move this unique nation forward with renewed confidence and a shared hope for a brighter future.